Jaunted

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Brazil Perfects Islands, Dental Floss Swimwear

From previous posts, readers may have figured out that we heart Boipeba.

But where, you may wonder, is Boipeba exactly? It's one of three islands between Brazil's northeastern coastal cities of Salvador and Ilhéus. The other two islands in the archipelago are Tinharé and Cairu. The former boasts the town of Morro de São Paolo, a one-time sleepy village turned tourist center of sorts; the latter is the local administrative hub.

These islands cluster very closely together, so that travel between Tinharé and Boipeba at the narrowest point between the two islands (across the fabulously named Rio do Inferno) is a three-minute swim in low-tide.

Boipeba's charms are many. Its small restaurants serve delicious food. (Bahian and Italian are the most common cuisines.) The tangle of alleys in its main town is picturesque and its coconut tree-ringed beaches are hugely appealing. On the eastern side of the island, these beaches stretch for miles and miles, and it's fairly run-of-the-mill to spend a half hour walking them before encountering another human being.

The island even has a small rainforest, though you could be forgiven for spending all your time on the beaches drinking coconut juice as, ahem, we did.